Jeremiah 22

Warning of Jerusalem’s Fall

1This is what the Lord says: “Go down to the house of the king of Judah and there speak this word, 2and say, ‘Hear the word of the Lord, O king of Judah, who 1sits on David’s throne, you and your servants and your people who enter these gates. 3This is what the Lord says: “2Do justice and righteousness, and save one who has been robbed from the power of his 3oppressor. And 4do not mistreat or do violence to the stranger, the orphan, or the widow; and do not 5shed innocent blood in this place. 4For if you will indeed perform this 6instruction, then 7kings will enter the gates of this house, sitting 8in David’s place on his throne, riding in chariots and on horses, the king himself, his servants, and his people. 59But if you will not obey these words, I 10swear by Myself,” declares the Lord, “that this house will become a place of ruins.”’” 6For this is what the Lord says concerning the house of the king of Judah: “You are like 11Gilead to Me, Like the summit of Lebanon; Yet most assuredly I will make you a 12wilderness, Cities that are not inhabited.7For I will set apart 13destroyers against you, Each with his weapons; And they will 14cut down your choicest cedars And 15throw them on the fire.

8“Many nations will pass by this city; and they will 16say to one another, ‘Why has the Lord done this to this great city?’ 9Then they will 17answer, ‘Because they 18abandoned the covenant of the Lord their God and bowed down to other gods and served them.’”

1019Do not weep for the dead or mourn for him, But weep deeply for the one who goes away; For 20he will never return Or see his native land.

11For this is what the Lord says regarding 2122Shallum the son of Josiah, king of Judah, who became king in the place of his father Josiah, who went out from this place: “He will never return there; 12but in the place where they took him into exile, there he will 23die and he will not see this land again.

Messages about the Kings

13“Woe to him who builds his house 24without righteousness, And his upstairs rooms without justice, Who uses his neighbor’s services without pay And 25does not give him his wages,14Who says, ‘I will 26build myself a large house With spacious upstairs rooms, And cut out its windows, 27Paneling it with 28cedar and painting it 29bright red.’15Do you become a king because you are competing in cedar? Did your father not eat and drink And 30do justice and righteousness? Then it was 31well for him.16He pled the cause of the 32afflicted and the poor, Then it was well. 33Is that not what it means to know Me?” Declares the Lord.17“But your eyes and your heart Are intent only upon your own 34dishonest gain, And on 35shedding innocent blood, And on practicing oppression and extortion.”

18Therefore this is what the Lord says regarding 36Jehoiakim the son of Josiah, king of Judah: “They will not 37mourn for him: ‘38Oh, my brother!’ or, ‘Oh, sister!’ They will not mourn for him: ‘Oh, for the master!’ or, ‘Oh, for his splendor!’19He will be 39buried with a donkey’s burial, Dragged off and thrown out beyond the gates of Jerusalem.20Go up to Lebanon and cry out, And raise your voice in Bashan; Cry out also from 40Abarim, For all your 41lovers have been crushed.21I spoke to you in your prosperity; But 42you said, ‘I will not listen!’ 43This has been your way 44from your youth, That you have not obeyed My voice.22The wind will sweep away all your 45shepherds, And your 46lovers will go into captivity; Then you will certainly be 47ashamed and humiliated Because of all your wickedness.23You who live in Lebanon, Nested in the cedars, How you will groan when sharp pains come on you, 48Pain like a woman in childbirth!

24“As I live,” declares the Lord, “even if 4950Coniah the son of Jehoiakim king of Judah were a 51signet ring on My right hand, yet I would pull 52you 53off; 25and I will 54hand you over to those who are seeking your life, yes, to those of whom you are frightened, that is, to Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon and the Chaldeans. 26I will 55hurl you and your 56mother who gave birth to you into another country where you were not born, and there you will die. 27But as for the land to which they long to return, they will not return to it.28Is this man Coniah a despised, shattered jar? Or is he an 57undesirable vessel? Why have he and his descendants been 58hurled out And cast into a 59land that they had not known?2960O land, land, land, Hear the word of the Lord! 30This is what the Lord says: ‘Write this man down as 61childless, A man who will 62not prosper in his days; For no man among his 63descendants will prosper Sitting on the throne of David Or ruling again in Judah.’”